Atlanta
Within the first few months of the U. S. Army Eben Swift major once said, a group of 35 officers and more than half of the American Civil War (1861 to 1865, American Civil War), he was appointed as the general frontline troops, of which there are four was soon promoted to captains of the army. He talked about the regiment said: [Note: the United States Eben Swift at least: the infantry and cavalry school and staff college martial arts tutorial introduction ", Fort Leavenworth, 1904 years. ]
"This is a good group, and the officers are well equipped. To a certain extent, its experience is remarkable because it once pursued the Indians in the vast majority of the country, and did a lot of positive work."
He talked about the experience of being promoted to the general:
"When it comes to applying what they have learned to solve problems that are bigger than they are on the front line or the detection of the Indians, they find themselves lacking experience, lack of training, no precedent to follow. Their organization and command of the army can really good fight, is in a year and a half, and financial resources, patriotism and ability and so on factors, also played a role in nature."
The problem is that our combat troops are not organized to fight against the demands of the war. Although South for a long time had war clouds, but those responsible for the operational mechanism to keep up with the development of political situation of government officials, and even a cursory analysis of the situation also has not been, or now prevailing terms, they simply is has not been "judgment." First, they did not seriously estimate the possibility of the outbreak of war. Secondly, they did not consider: the task that may be faced in the event of war, the human and material resources that can be used to accomplish the task, as well as the specific issues of using these resources to achieve the purpose of war.
Lazy and passive style has almost fatal consequences. During the first two years of the civil war, the apparent triumph of the rebellion, which refers to the military rebellion of the southern states of the United States, is proof. At that time, the European military authority critics to our forces said to be a "mob" and the Boolean Lun (northeast Virginia a river name) and Charlotte (in Tennessee, Harding county) two battle (after a battle is we will army who have one year experience after playing) that is "full of comedy of errors".
If the Union army, which means the army of the Lincoln government in the north of the United States, did a reasonable job of logistics, the rebellion would be just like a riot. It appears to be a conclusion drawn by the military authorities after careful consideration. The enormous cost and great difficulty of the protracted war, which is the cost of the neglect of the logistics service. If we can take preventive measures, advance the logistics work, then the expenditure will be not worth mentioning.
Because the war on science is on various matters to make a system arrangement, and the art of war is in accordance with the pragmatic principles troops; therefore, self-evident is: to make combat troops ready to adapt to the requirements of any possible war, the practical work of the first step should be is to collect and major issues relating to the arrangement.
If this preparation work is not done before the combat troops against the enemy, then the battle will not be the performance of the art of war, but can only be a melee (especially if the two sides are not trained). Most of the civil war in the United States is a lot of melee. But experience is a good school (although it is expensive to pay for it). Both the north and the South have acquired a certain knowledge of the science of war through the practical study of the non scientific methods of warfare. As the two sides in the war of knowledge, the progress of the science, the speed of progress is roughly equal, can eventually win the war, the natural resources is a more powerful party.
The federal army could learn a lesson from the study of the war in Russia, Napoleon 1811-1812, to establish a good war organization some time before 1861. But in fact what we see is that it has learned the same lesson from the experience of its own, and that it has not been used until 1864.
General Sherman (former commander of the Mississippi River in the federal army) knows the importance of logistics. From him in capturing Atlanta (in the American northwest Georgia) before and after release of many commands, he envisioned the logistics is a help, and different from the strategic and tactical. Can best illustrate this point, he carefully planning and in the theater established management organization of the railway and railway inspector, a colonel and aide handed over the initiative. [Note: the army service school martial arts department: the battle of Atlanta during Sherman's army supply ", Fort Leavenworth, 1911, P. 29 and after each page. In this institution, the subordinate units of the responsibilities of the clear, both strict division of labor, but also a good cooperation. [Note: the army service school martial arts department: the battle of Atlanta during Sherman's army supply ", Fort Leavenworth, 1911, the main page. ]] the railway can be kept open in very difficult circumstances. The attacks by the guerrillas and the southern allies have often succeeded in breaking the railway.The attacks by the guerrillas and the southern allies have often succeeded in breaking the railway. In October 1864, general hood, one of the leader of the southern rebel generals successfully put all his forces into the railway line, in addition to killed and captured many railway workers, completely destroyed the bridge up to thirty-five miles and a half of the subgrade and 455 feet. Railway authorities work very active, is worthy of the a good organization, even in the hands of the hood that help people without damage to the site before the construction team to start laying the. Hood destroyed the station supplies, to track the sleepers and the rails from Atlanta to the south of the railway or transported to the Nashville (a distance of nearly 200 miles) from. In spite of these delays, the full line of repair opened to traffic about only seven days. [Note: the army service school martial arts department: the battle of Atlanta during Sherman's army supply ", Fort Leavenworth, 1911, P. 48. ]Quartermaster, commissary supervision officer and other staff officers also have a clear division of labor, with great authority. [Note: the army service school martial arts department: the battle of Atlanta during Sherman's army supply ", Fort Leavenworth, 1911, the 38-39 pages,The commander's command was based on a clear concept, and the target was clear, and the head of each department knew his own task.General Sherman met a lot of difficulties in order to have an independent agency that he was able to control and work with. This is he in April 1864 and May with Washington communication card. He seems to be his chief Quartermaster general Allen, he said to Allen:"Please draft a plan for me, and with it, the Department of the army may be issued an order, so you became my chief quartermaster, you will have the right to self (or send inspectors) I shall be under the jurisdiction of the various departments of the inspection, guidance of supplies storage and turnover, the allocation of means of transport and all pure belong to you in charge within the scope of the specific work, I must to work with my coordination with the Quartermaster..." [Note: the army service school martial arts department: the battle of Atlanta during Sherman's army supply ", Fort Leavenworth, 1911, P. 22. ]Clearly, the US government did not approve of the above requirements, as Sherman said in a letter to general Maggs in May 3, 1864:"...... I believe that Stanton, the Secretary of the United States Army, has made a mistake in refusing to receive the support of general Allen. He (Stanton) through the full supervision of the entire Department of the army, compared to him personally review one million types of invoices and vouchers, to save more money for the treasury. Similarly, if a quartermaster can very timely to provide transportation means, and can according to the time requirements of the situation that (the change is not always our prior to the expected) provide means of transport, he will have to promote success in combat. Do you often love to find fault with force commanders, said they did not have the same experience of the quartermaster to discuss. I'd like to discuss with military officers, but military officers, some in Louisville, some in Nashville, and is here, although they belong to my command, but everyone affected by the conditions of the restrictions, so I not to disturb them. I know it's wrong. Such a general command of the army, the only fate." [Note: the army service school martial arts department: the battle of Atlanta during Sherman's army supply ", Fort Leavenworth, 1911, P. 24. ]He was in a April 6, 1864 letter to the director of food, but also made the same argument:"There should be an officer of your own at my side, and he will have the same power as me. He can talk with me, understand my (Combat) plan and I belong to the strength of the forces, the march route, the characteristics of supply and all other matters; he can also guide the overall business coordination. But now I have to with four rations ephor dealing with them, no one recognized." [Note: the army service school martial arts department: the battle of Atlanta during Sherman's army supply ", Fort Leavenworth, 1911, P. 24. ]All the circumstances of the battle of research clearly shows that although according to General Sherman estimation, his forces only 100000 horses 35000 head (plus traffic patrol), but his logistical organizations such as not to build in the strong on the basis of the principle, that is, if all logistical department heads are not granted considerable power, he would certainly can not maintain his troops.Here, the strategic and tactical issues, compared with the logistical aspects of the problem, have become a small problem. It appears that general Sherman is his own chief logistics officer. Due to the small number of his forces, because there is a lot of pressure in the strategic and tactical aspects, especially because his logistic organization good, each department as he provides excellent service, he was able to assume the supervisory work of the logistics.Not surprisingly, is due to logistical cooperation good, commander issued a command to become concise (which is brief, and briefly) model. In the command, no longer in need of carried lengthy narrative commanders must be aware of (through to his agency) to understand the details of the various specific problems."The army must be ready to go, starting in May 23rd, but with a two foot.This is a typical part of his command in the field.We have reason to believe that the commander of the gendarmerie is representative of the departmental gendarmerie, in battle before and at the beginning of, like supply and transportation departments organized so well. Some problems are pointed out on June 4, 1864 issued seventeenth special battlefield command, need not have commander personally. The crime should nip in the bud, or at least they should not be allowed to command that degree. The following said, that is, a case:"...... Desertion, hiding behind the horrible crimes occur in times of crisis, if not commander personally found and report (some of the wounded soldiers hiding in the cabin, fled to the rear, far to Kingston), the result is difficult to imagine. This kind of rogue only deserved their fate is to be shot as their common enemy in that line of colleagues and state. They sent the arrested officers and men as a hit or resistance, can they kill with lawful authority. They wandered to the rear, is abandoned in history, those companions dedicated to fighting. They should have been arrested and not entitled to be a good soldier. Every officer found the absquatulate molecules, have the responsibility to be seized and turned over to picket. No matter what the molecules belonging to the original units, to act as servants or service roads, canals and so on. Officer as desertion, once discovered, will be subject to the punishment as well as soldiers, is immediately executed or the heavy labor service or other treatment. " [Note: the army service school martial arts department: the battle of Atlanta during Sherman's army supply ", Fort Leavenworth, 1911, P. 40. ]In short, we can say that Sherman's organization is a major improvement in logistics, and his logistics organizations are mostly built up after the campaign, not in the battle. Sherman gave his main logistics officers with greater power, and to make them closely cooperate to meet the needs of the war may be proposed, thus ensuring the full play of the initiative spirit and the spirit of cooperation. However, if his logistics organization can be established earlier, and if it can get the same good support from the Department of the army's logistics work, the price will be much less. Because, it is said that a method of measuring the standard, and not to see "how much it will cost", but to see it "can be completed, as far as the price is much, it can be".Logistics work in this case, compared with the aforementioned (Napoleon) the war of the logistics of the logistics work, is a step forward. There is a need for greater progress, and a brief review.
